If He Hollers, Let Him Go: In 2005 Tiger Woods & Co. tried to diminish the livelihood of CBS golf commentator Peter Kostis as payback for some perceived on-air knock on Woods.
No one seems to know exactly what the beef was because by 2005 it had already been clear for years that TV folks would not and could not criticize Woods. Whatever Kostis said, it couldn’t have been much or it would have stuck out like a hand grenade in a small box of cotton balls. But Team Tiger was able to deliver an unmistakable message how it expects TV folks to continue to address all things Tiger Woods.
As punishment, Woods refused to be interviewed, post-round, by Kostis. Until Kostis was given permission to resume those interviews, CBS plugged in David Feherty.
Sunday, after Woods finished his final round at the Masters, throughout which he provided evidence that his vow to improve his on-course comportment was bogus (how long does it take de-brat a brat?), Kostis proved that the pandering TV folks who helped pump Woods with his dangerously over-inflated sense of entitlement hadn’t changed, either.
Wrapping it up after their chat, Kostis said to Woods: “Thank you for your time, and thanks for being here.”
Thanks for being here? Thanks for playing in the Masters?
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From Tiger to Ben Roethlisberger, even the “smart” people who operate with, near and for big-shot athletes seem to have one thing in common: They don’t think patrons, er, fans, are smart enough to distinguish sense from nonsense.
In Roethlisberger’s prepared statement, this week, he first thanked the authorities in Georgia for establishing that he’s completely innocent of sexual assault claims. Yet by the end of that statement, Roethlisberger was apologizing to the NFL, the Steelers and “Steeler Nation” for his behavior.
If he’s completely innocent, why the apology?
Referee taught Cosell the ABC’s of boxing
Renowned boxing ref Arthur Mercante Sr., died, Saturday, at 90. Mercante, for a time an ABC boxing analyst, was one of several to have told me roughly the same story about working with Howard Cosell.
At the end of rounds, the moment ABC cut to commercials, Cosell would pick Mercante’s brain about the bout.
“When we came back from commercial, Cosell would repeat everything I’d just told him, as if they were his opinions. He’d leave me with nothing to say. It reached the point where I was tempted to tell him a bunch of nonsense so that when he repeated it I could disagree with him.”
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A Man Who Needs No Introduction: ESPN would figure a way to promote itself at a three-alarm fire. Within an ESPN Web site story about the salute to the Yankees’ seriously ill trainer, Gene Monahan, during Opening Day ceremonies, reference was made to on-field co-host Michael Kay.
Kay’s annual presence in such a role as a radio then TV voice of the Yankees went unexplained. Instead, he was identified as “Michael Kay of 1050 ESPN Radio.”
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Nice work from Chico Resch on MSG during Game 1 of the NHL playoffs. After questioning a tripping call against Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador, Resch, during the replay, said Flyers forward Scott Hartnell had, in fact, been tripped. “You know what? I apologize. Good call!”
Speaking of correcting mistakes, I made one here, Monday, identifying Tino Martinez as the YES man who said he couldn’t hit Jesse Orosco; the speaker was Paul O’Neill. … Happy 78th Stan Fischler. … MSG’s young ol’ reliable Steve Cangialosi is back having lost a few work days to pneumonia. With Doc Emrick off to call tomorrow’s Bruins-Sabres, Cangialosi will call tonight’s Game 2 of Flyers-Devils. … Say, is it legal to drive while listening to John Sterling?
The NCAA’s new football rules against taunting and showboating are strong, significant and about 30 years late. The bigger angle is that such rules, those that endeavor to restore some sport to the sport, are needed; the rule changes are an indictment of head coaches, the last 30 years.
Lookalikes: At least a dozen folks have submitted Nick Johnson, under cap or batting helmet, and SNY’s Chris Carlin. But I see Johnson and actor Chazz Palminteri. . . . MLB Network, today at 5:30, debuts “Batting Practice,” a live, half-hour around-the-bigs pregame that includes “Ballpark Cam’s” scenes from batting cages.
The Mets will always be amazin’. Yesterday, David Wright came to bat with two on, none out. After two base-running mistakes, he struck out to end the inning. … And the Nets, in their season’s final act, after two overtimes totaled 86 points, including a combined eight in the two OTs.
Bettman is not helping
Sometimes Gary Bettman guides the NHL along the high road, such as last season when he suspended Sean Avery for some public sexual low-talk about a young woman.
And sometimes Bettman goes out of his way to shepherd the NHL along the slimy low road, such as Tuesday, when he pursued cheap promotion by appearing on WFAN’s Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason show, during which the NHL commissioner indulged some very public sexual low-talk about young women.
But credit Carton with a good line. In view of the inactivity of the Garden’s teams, every spring, Friday’s, he said, are now “Bingo Nights.” But Carton’s clever stuff is always his cleaner stuff. Like most drive-time shock jocks, his “dirty” talk is more forced than funny.
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With its sleazy PSL sales pitches, Rex Ryan’s public indiscretion and the additions of expendable undesirables Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes, the Jets seem too eager to become a very difficult team for which to root.
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Doesn’t matter what the sport or issue, Mike Francesa is full of it. Monday, with Jim Nantz on to discuss the Masters, Fran-say-so declared that the Masters is “the only golf tournament where you’re watching and you hear a roar from elsewhere, and you’ve got to figure out who it’s for.”
Baloney. Such audible distant roars are common in many tournaments.
And when Nantz got rolling with his strong feelings about how Tiger Woods (mis)behaved on the course, Francesa repeatedly interrupted him.
Finally, after Francesa declared that most spectators at the Masters are “well-off” — another bad-guess — Nantz stopped him, cold, told him he’s dead wrong.